Obama’s Disgrace.

[Bluebear]

By Sheldon Richman, Media With Conscience

The words could have been spoken by a government official in Orwell’s 1984: “Today, I am announcing several steps that broaden our ability to bring terrorists to justice, provide oversight for our actions, and ensure the humane treatment of detainees,” President Barack Obama said.

What Obama actually did, the Washington Post reported, was to sign “an executive order ... that will create a formal system of indefinite detention for those held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who continue to pose a significant threat to national security. The administration also said it will start new military commission trials for detainees there.”

In other words, Obama, who ran for president in 2008 promising to reverse the atrocious human-rights record of George W. Bush, has formally embraced his predecessor’s policy of detaining persons suspected of being, but never proven to be, terrorists. A review process will be set up — within the executive, not the judicial, branch — making it little more than a sham. Obama’s pledge to close the prison is officially history. His executive order asserts presidential authority to hold people indefinitely without ever bringing them before any kind of judicial authority, not even military commissions, which have been criticized as kangaroo courts even by some of the prosecutors...

Naturally, Republican hawks love Obama’s order. Rep. Peter T. King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, who held hearings on domestic Islamic radicalism, praised him for ratifying Bush’s policy: “I commend the Obama Administration for issuing this Executive Order. The bottom line is that it affirms the Bush Administration policy that our government has the right to detain dangerous terrorists until the cessation of hostilities.”

===

Sheldon Richman is senior fellow at The Future of Freedom Foundation, author of Tethered Citizens: Time to Repeal the Welfare State, and editor of The Freeman magazine.

http://mwcnews.net/focus/analysis/9224-obamas-disgrace.html

[xchrom]

1. WWBD?

What would bush do?

[avaistheone1]

3. Brilliant!

Very true.

k&r

[leftstreet]

2. "until the cessation of hostilities" wtf does that mean?

Strange statement

[Nordmadr]

4. It means until they die. N/T

[Angry Dragon]

5. I guess he is not planning on stopping the wars until he

sets a world record for continuous war

I seem to remember reading about the 100 years war ..... something we all can work towards

[WCGreen]

9. It was only about 116 years but why quibble about such things...

[Scuba]

6. Peter King likes it, so it must be OK.

[walldude]

7. I keep waiting for the Obama supporters to say "I told you so"

About his unwavering support for workers in Wisconsin. I mean after that smack he laid down on Republicans who are out to destroy the working class of America today at his press conference I figured they'd be all over the place....

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Mira]

8. I was terribly disappointed

and sadly not surprised

[ProSense]

10. Obama's policy does not affirm Bush's and it's

absolutely ridiculous to claim that it does.

The Bush-Obama policy disgraces America. Where are the Progressive Democrats who likened Bush to Hitler when he was doing what Obama is doing now?

What an absurd comment.

Further Thoughts on the Guantanamo Executive Order

Conservatives claiming "vindication" for Bush on Gitmo are wrong

[walldude]

14. Yeah those two opinion pieces changed my mind

:eyes:


The only thing absurd here is your defense of constitutional violations.

[donheld]

18. Oh God will you EVER wake up?

[Vinee]

11. he extended the Bush tax cuts for millionaires too

and gave billions and billions of dollars to giant multinational corporations hoping that it would "trickle down" to the poor folks.

[TicketyBoo]

12. You know,

if I want to see the President slammed, I can watch Faux News.

Constructive criticism is one thing.

This ain't it.

[L0oniX]

13. What kind of "Constructive criticism" would make a difference? NONE!

[TicketyBoo]

16. Just as well watch Faux News, then.

[Bluebear]

17. So, you support Obama's detaining prisoners indefinitely with no trial?

OK then.

[Kermitt Gribble]

15. This article doesn't slam the President,

it slams his policy. Do you support the President's policy of indefinite detention without a fair trial?

[_ed_]

20. What did you say about Republicans who refused to criticize Bush?

.

[upi402]

19. He's not even middle of the road

But the screaming RW whackos and their media touts make him seem liberal to their zealots. They will HATE him even though he's Bush-lite.